After sucking you in with faint, uncomfortable horror noises, the band catch you right off guard with a deafening assault in the form of The Holy Mice, an aggressive and harsh opener that sets up the entire vibe for the album ahead, both on a sonic and lyrical degree. The fury is no less abundant moving onto Sinner Ablaze, where you get to hear some of the most acutely all-in and bombastic vocal work from any metal act residing in the entire continent.
The perpetually breath-wrenching blitz continues with the bone-crushing The Deadly Mess Of A Dying Head. They do provide a respite in the first moments of Loveless, but it proves to only be a brief one as the action is under way again soon enough, albeit at a creeping pace this time with a solid rhythm to boot. The first half of V is completely instrumental and is coated in this gritty broodiness, from which they escalate into a predictably rocking second half. Hostile Cage is the most memorable exciting highlight for sure, chock full of deliciously wild shreds and forcibly rapid drum beats from wire to wire, it’s just pure intoxicating stuff.
Lost In A Frame switches gears back and forth between the group’s trademark deranged insanity and cool, darkly ambient sections, but Double Bind definitely doesn’t slam down the breaks at any given moment, keeping the rage boiling and running nonstop. Walls Of Hate is one of the notable picks writing-wise, assertively decrying and condemning the powers that be who try to crush and push aside others they determine to be unworthy and beneath them.
One final interlude with Silence and it’s a charging exit with The Serpents to close off the latest album from the French alt-hardcore quartet which is not always exactly pretty and far from the most sophisticated of releases, but damn is it a hell of a ride that is chaotic bedlam sure to ignite and satisfying your inner mosher for the entire shebang.
SMALL MUSIC SCENE 